Storm
by Tomboy13
Summary: Strauss finds out about Hotch and Reid's relationship and the events that follow will try them both in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Slash pairings**

**Set after the events of my other story Playboy but you don't need to read that to follow this one.  
**

* * *

Erin Strauss had pulled Aaron Hotchner's BAU unit from active duty pending an investigation, citing the suspension of its acting unit chief for inappropriate fraternization as reason.

Rumors were flying around the office that Aaron Hotchner had been caught with his subordinate in his own office. What exactly they were doing, nobody knew for sure. Questions about who the subordinate even was were also high in the air. There were several people insisting it was Emily Prentiss because haven't you seen how those two look at each other? Others stated with complete confidence that the only way Penelope Garcia could get away with dressing like that was if she was doing something for the boss. A possible fling with the media liaison, JJ was brought up but all that paled to the response received to an off handed comment by Agent Anderson.

"I always thought he was pretty close with Dr. Reid…"

The ladies who had been standing around gossiping looked as if Christmas had come early, they fervently agreed so quickly that Anderson realized his mistake.

"No…I meant you could _ask _Dr. Reid who it is-"

The damage had already been done and by the lunch hour, there wasn't anybody around who didn't know without a shade of doubt that Aaron Hotchner had been fucking his pet genius Spencer Reid.

While it was good fun to speculate and spread the rumors, none of the other agents were willing to go anywhere near Hotchner's BAU to ask for confirmation. Derek Morgan was prowling around in such a mood that he had reduced a desk clerk to near tears after she attempting to retrieve a file from Dr. Reid. Even David Rossi, who always got along fairly well with the other BAU teams was now being cold and distant.

They were drawing themselves closer together, as if protecting their family. It wasn't until another desk clerk actually went to Strauss with a complaint that the unit was being uncooperative that she called all of them into her office.

* * *

A weaker woman would have quailed under the looks from the profilers she was now receiving but if Erin Strauss was anything, it was not a weak woman.

"I'm giving all of you the week off with pay. Now go home." She ordered briskly. "It's not as if any of you are on active duty."

"What?" JJ spoke out first, "Ma'am, you can't-"

"I know perfectly what I can and can not do. You are all on stand by pending an investigation or a replacement unit chief can be found."

Reid shuffled his feet and looked as if he was going to speak but Morgan stepped in front of him.

"I can be temporary acting unit chief again." He stated boldly.

"No. I've already had three complaints against your attitude today, Agent Morgan. I want an unbiased unit chief." Her eyes traveled around the group, settling on the form of Dr. Reid in the back, "Go home, relax and let internal affairs decide this."

Rossi snorted and gave Strauss a pointed look before he walked out of the room. One by one the others followed until only Reid was left.

"You're dismissed, Dr. Reid."

"I should be suspended too."

Strauss gave him a firm look, "I'd rather not confirm the rumors that it was _you _that Agent Hotchner was having an inappropriate relationship with at the moment. Now, go home."

* * *

The others had waited for Reid by the elevator and as the young genius swung his messenger bag over his slim shoulders they glanced around at each other. Garcia had left her office and was walking towards them with Strauss intercepted her and sent her back inside.

"We're going to grab some lunch, Reid. Maybe we should…talk?" Prentiss suggested lightly as Morgan was waving sadly to his baby girl.

Reid shrugged and stepped smoothly into the elevator, "Alright."

Morgan gave him a tentative grin, "I'll give you a ride."

They all quickly made plans to meet at a Chinese restaurant and Rossi called Hotch to see if he could persuade him to meet them there.

* * *

Reid was once again the only one eating with a fork but this time no one was laughing about it and they all seemed to be waiting for him to speak.

"…what?" Reid looked up from his plate to find his friends staring at him.

"How long?" Morgan asked his voice calm and holding no sign of anger or disgust.

"Months." Reid responded vaguely, pulling a bottle of soy sauce closer.

"Reid…why didn't you tell us?" JJ spoke next, her soft features moved into a quizzical look.

"Probably the same reason you didn't tell anyone about you and Will." Reid answered quickly, looking up when he heard a set of footsteps behind himself.

"And also to try and avoid this situation." Hotch added as he walked up behind Reid, putting his hands on his young lover's shoulders.

"Hotch…"

Hotchner greeted them all and sat down with a weary sigh, "Dave said that Strauss has all of you on leave?"

"Yeah, until we get a new unit chief or internal affairs decides what they want to do with you."

Hotch ran a hand through his dark hair and took the plate of noodles Reid offered him.

"Internal affairs will probably have a decision by the end of next week." He muttered and the others exchanged glances.

"What do you think they're going to do?" Prentiss asked.

"Normal a suspension or a warning would be sufficient but this is an…unusual case. First of all, it's two men and second, it's a unit chief and a subordinate." Rossi drawled out, "It also doesn't help that you and Strauss aren't exactly buddy buddy."

"I can trust her to be somewhat fair, Dave." Hotch responded, "She did what she had to do."

The others looked unconvinced and continued eating in silence for several moments until Morgan brought up a movie he would like to see and a new, more easy going conversation began.

* * *

"Do you want a ride home?" Morgan asked Reid as they settled their check and prepared to leave.

"No, thanks Morgan." His eyes went over towards Hotch and Morgan nodded in understanding.

"Have a good night, pretty boy." He said as he patted Reid on the shoulder and followed Prentiss out of the restaurant.

Hotch and Reid left a few moments later, walking closely together towards Hotch's car.

"I asked Strauss why she didn't suspend me too…" Reid stated and Hotch raised an eyebrow, indicated he should continue, "She said she didn't want people to know that it was me you were with."

"She's trying to protect us in her own way."

Reid scoffed at this and Hotch continued, "She's too by the book to have let us off with just a warning but she's also not unsympathetic, Spencer. I know what it's like to have to bow to company policy even if you don't really want to."

Reid knew he had to listen to the reason in Hotch's logic and sighed in defeat, "It'll work out, Spencer. I don't want you to worry."

"It's my fault, Hotch. I should have been more careful."

Hotch stopped walking and pulled Reid into a close hug, "I don't regret this." He murmured, pressing his lips to Reid's in a quick kiss that slowly built up.

"I don't either…" Reid spoke as they slowly pulled apart. He truly didn't regret his relationship with Hotch but he knew as the I.A. investigation began and their relationship came more and more into light he would have battles to fight, not only for himself but for Hotch as well.

He just hoped he was strong enough to do it.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Internal Affairs

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

Reid and Hotch had gotten their calls only thirty minutes apart from one another. The directions were crisp and to the point, there was no time for questions and no time for anything but what needed to be known.

Monday morning, eight am sharp, Internal Affairs office on level six.

Reid hung up his cell and glanced over at Hotch who was cutting a sandwich for Jack with a distant look in his eyes.

"You too?" He asked, not looking up from the sandwich.

"Yeah." Reid slid into the chair across from Hotch and watched him with faint interest. He bit his lip and frowned before reaching out and covering Hotch's strong hand with his almost delicate one. "What should we do?"

Reid had come to rely on Hotch's ability to easily plan out situations that held constant variables.

"They'll try to cause tension between us, veiled and sometimes out right threats. We've done nothing wrong that a straight couple would get anything more than a two day suspension for. We just need to stay strong."

Reid gave Hotch's hand a gentle squeeze and smiled faintly which Hotch returned with one of his own.

"Come on; let me get this to Jack before he tells me he wants to eat a horse."

* * *

They arrived at IAB together; they weren't denying their relationship but were more than ready to defend it as necessary. Two agents, who fit the typical MIB stereotype to the T were waiting for them.

"Dr. Reid?" The first, a built red headed man held out his arm and waited for Reid to step away from Hotch to follow him down the pale hallway.

"This way, Agent Hotchner." The brunette who was left was around Hotch's height and he carried a slim manila folder with him. His shoes were highly polished but his watch had scuff marks.

'_He only takes care of things he thinks people can see…' _Hotch mused as he followed the man into an interview room. There was a standard wooden table and two chairs on either side of it.

"Have a seat and we'll begin."

* * *

"So, Dr. Reid…wow…" The red head, who had introduced himself as Miles Donovan flipped through a few pages of the file that had been on the table when they entered the room. "You have…more than one doctorate and you're only…what? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six." Reid corrected politely.

Donovan let out a low whistle, "Still it's pretty impressive. I can imagine why you caught Jason Gideon's eye."

Reid tensed at the mention of Gideon and looked down at his hands, "Agent Gideon recommended me to the BAU…"

"But he had to convince Agent Aaron Hotchner."

Reid forced himself to relax, knowing that while these agents were profilers, they were still trained investigators.

"Yes and Agent Hotchner agreed and I think I've proved myself more than necessary that I am a valuable member of the BAU."

Donovan laughed easily and took a seat across from Reid, "No doubt, Spencer. Can I call you Spencer?"

Reid knew he was trying to be friendly to get him to lower his guard and speak freely but nodded just the same.

"Sweet. You can just call me Miles then." He flipped the page in the file once more and smiled almost sweetly, "Now, Spencer. Is your relationship with Agent Hotchner sexual?"

"Yes." Reid said firmly.

"Has Agent Hotchner ever demanded sex from you?"

Reid knew he could think back to some hot and heavy night at his place where Aaron had pulled him down to the bed and ravished him with lust and desire but he also knew that wasn't what Donovan was asking about.

"No, our relationship is a mutual one."

Donovan smiled again, "Excellent to know and maybe it's become that but c'mon Spencer. You do know what the rumor mill is putting out there right?"

Reid leaned back, letting the chair prop up onto two legs, "No, I don't."

"How else would someone as young as you get into one of the best BAU teams so quickly? Natural talent helps of course but people with years of training and experience were denied because you were Jason Gideon's pet." The friendly air of Donovan's voice fell and he grew slightly more heated as he continued, "Were you doing anything to gain Gideon's favor?"  
"No."

"So you weren't trading sexual favors with Jason Gideon in order to join the BAU?"

"_No._"

"And when Jason Gideon left you didn't turn to Aaron Hotchner for that same special treatment? We have reports here that state you get quite the leash when it comes to matters that should have gotten you written up or even suspended."

"What reports?" Reid demanded, knowing it was time to begin going on the offensive. "I'd like to see them."

"No can do." Donovan mimicked Reid's earlier pose as he leaned his chair back as well. "Just a few more questions and we'll be done, alright?"  
Reid frowned and set his chair back onto the ground.

* * *

The next interview room over Hotch was having a similar time with his interviewer Agent Jared Edwards. Edwards had asked similar questions to Hotch, although much more professionally.

"Alright, I have it on my notes that you deny using your position as Doctor Spencer Reid's direct superior to gain sexual favors from him."

"I do. We have a mutual relationship that we have been building over the past nine months."

"A relationship that you've kept secret from even the others on your team, correct?"

"To prevent this sort of fall out, yes. Our relationship, however, has never once affected our job performance."

Edwards nodded, "I see that your record stands by that statement but tell me, Agent Hotchner how does a man go from loving a wife to sleeping with his male subordinate?"

Hotch's eyes blazed and he gave Edwards a dark look, "What is this really about? At first I thought that this was set up because we were a homosexual couple but this is too much effort even for IAB."

Edwards' look turned dark as well, "Off the record?" He stated, "You've made some enemies Agent Hotchner, are you really surprised that one of them is finally pouncing on this chink in your armor?"

"This interview is over." Hotch stood up from his chair smoothly, "I expect myself and Doctor Reid to be cleared to return to duty or I will get a lawyer."

Edwards made no physical effort to stop Hotch from walking towards the door but as the BAU chief gripped the tarnished handle he spoke out,

"You have a young son, do you not?"

Hotch continued to face the door, even as he responded, "What does that have to do with this?"

"I hear child services still doesn't take too kindly to households with two fathers."

Hotch pulled the door open and left the room without a response.

* * *

**So, I'm pretty much making up the child service thing as I need for teh dramas...I have no idea how that works**

**But hey now don't forget to review!  
**


	3. Seeds of Doubt

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

Spencer Reid allowed a look of pure relief to wash over his face when the door to his interview room opened and Aaron Hotchner filled the frame.

"Get your coat, we're leaving." He stated, his eyes flickering over towards the agent who had been questioning his lover, "Any objections?"

Donovan's smile remained easy going but his eyes hardened, "No. I suppose not but do you really think that's the best move, Hotch?"

Hotchner stepped away from the door to allow Reid to slip past before he responded, "I don't know who's pulling your strings but I have already told Edwards that I am more than willing to take legal action."

"Fair enough." Donovan replied, looking unbothered. "Tell Dr. Reid I enjoyed our chat."

* * *

Reid sat in the passenger seat of Hotch's car with his hands folded neatly on his lap. He was staring down at them intently, biting his lip in thought.

"He asked if I slept with Gideon."

Hotch's eyes drifted from the road for only a moment, "They were grabbing for straws. They know they have no case so they were just attempting to see what they could force from us."

"Then why are you still so tense?" Reid questioned softly, his head turning to face Hotch with a curious look in his eyes.

"I want to find out who did this."

"That's not it…" Reid countered, just as softly but with a bit more strength in his voice, "You're worried."

Hotch sighed and eased his grip on the steering wheel as he made a turn towards Reid's place, "I thought we wouldn't profile each other, Spencer."

Reid bit his lip again and his eyes dropped back towards his hands, "I'm sorry."

This time without taking his eyes off the road, Hotch reached over and took one of Reid's thin hands into his own, "Don't be sorry, Spencer." He picked up the younger man's hand and brought it to his lips and Reid flushed a shade of red.

-

* * *

When they finally reached Reid's apartment the younger man padded his way sheepishly into the entry hall.

"I haven't really been cleaning up after myself…"

Hotch looked around in silent wonder as stack upon stack of law books and case files littered the already tiny apartment haphazardly with no real thought into tidiness or order.

"None of these pertain to any of our recent cases…" Hotch mused as he tilted one of the books to the side to read its spine.

"No," Spencer called from his kitchen, "Most of those were cases dealing with harassment, and you know, cases like ours."

Reid slipped past Hotch easily and handed him a steaming cup of hot chocolate with the little marshmallows he had grown fond of, "I know you were an attorney but I felt like I should look too…"

"I don't want you to worry about this; you're thin enough as it is." Hotch chuckled at his joke and Reid smiled almost automatically as he moved to go and sit on the couch, scooting over to indicate Hotch should join him.

"Are you going to tell me what they asked you?" Reid questioned after a few sips of delicious coco. Hotch couldn't stop the scowl from sweeping across his face at his lover's instance.

"They asked me the same basic things as you."

"Like, did you sleep with Gideon?" Reid mused, blowing across the top of his mug and watching the steam dance away.

Hotch closed his eyes heavily, "No, they asked me if I used my authority over you to gain sexual favors."

Reid waited for Hotch to begin drinking, rolling the mug between his fingers in an effort to keep his hands warm, "Aaron, I know they mentioned Jack."

Only years of careful practice kept Hotch's face stoic as he finished his drink, "How would you know that?"

Reid's eyes were shining when he looked up at Hotch and the older man was startled to see there were tears in them, "Donovan said he'd have child services look in on us and that you could lose Jack."

Hotch dropped his mug harshly onto Reid's coffee table, causing the other man to jump, "Donovan is full of shit." He spat out, "Edwards tried the same thing. It's a ploy, Spencer and nothing else."

"Aaron, I couldn't be the reason you lose Jack, I just can't-"

A finger to his lips silenced him and another hand underneath his chin forced his head gently up.

"Just get it out of your head, Spencer. We're clear to go back to work, we won't lose Jack and everything will be fine."

Only a single tear managed to escape Reid's eyes as he nodded against Hotch's hand, "Do you promise?"

It was a childish response and Reid knew it but he almost craved the feeling of security and love Hotch gave him and at times simply wished for more of it.

"I promise."

* * *

When Hotch awoke the next day to find Reid still sprawled across him he found it a near miracle that he managed to untangle himself from his lover's lanky form without waking him. He glanced at the clock and knew he needed to get home soon to Jessica and Jack. He showered quickly and trudged around Reid's bedroom looking for his clothes.

"M'm…you're leaving?" Reid asked sleepily as he blinked his eyes owlishly.

"I have to." Hotch responded, leaning over to give him a kiss, "Dinner tonight?"

"Sure…" Reid responded as Hotch walked out of the room, leaving him to dig back down into his comforter so he could get warm again.

As he did so a nagging thought entered his mind would Hotch have said good bye if he hadn't woken up?

"Don't be stupid." The genius chided himself out loud before slipping back into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Morgan had dropped by to check in on Reid later that day, bringing with him sandwiches and drinks from the corner deli.

"So, how did the meeting go?" He asked as he bit into his roast beef and cheddar sandwich with vigor.

"It could've gone better." Reid muttered only nibbling on his turkey club.

"You guys still aren't suspended are you?" Morgan asked in disbelief and Reid hastily waved off that thought.

"No, no. We're clear to go back to work and all that…it was just rough…that's all."

"Yeah, well, internal affairs is always a pain in the ass, no matter whose ass they're on." Morgan stated good naturedly as he opened his soda with a click, "Glad you guys are back, I was going stir crazy just sitting around at home."

Reid laughed and as he and Morgan continued to speak he felt the dull feeling he had that morning slip away, almost driven completely back by Morgan's charm.

* * *

**So I just want to reassure everyone that this story is not going to be about Hotch's rights to Jack or anything like that but the use of that threat is still going to weigh heavily onto some people**

**Don't forget to Review!  
**


	4. Leap of Faith

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!**

**Warnings: Mild spoilers for Minimal Loss and some potty mouth  
**

* * *

Hotch had gone into the office early to tell Strauss that he and Reid were clear to return to their duties and that he wanted his team back to work as soon as possible. Strauss agreed and had her assistant begin to make some phone calls.

"Aaron…" She muttered as Hotch had begun to walk towards her office door, "I honestly didn't think internal affairs was going to make this their next big case but I had to report you two."

"I understand ma'am." Hotch replied steadily.

Strauss looked hesitant for a moment before pulling out a thin manila folder, "Watch your step, Aaron."

Aaron picked up the file with his usual blank look and flipped it open, reading the one page of information quickly.

"Is this true?" He asked a flash of fury working across his face.

"I checked around and while that page there isn't enough to go to internal affairs with, I'd thought it would at least give you an idea of what you're up against."

Hotch gave himself a moment to process as he let an old case flash through his mind.

Colorado, a cult, Prentiss and Reid being held hostage…and a state attorney general who had told him he had messed with the wrong man when Hotch had threatened to go the federal level with his botched swat mission.

"He's a congressman now, Ryan Allen." Strauss told him with a sigh, "And with some very powerful friends."

"Thank you for the information." Hotch handed back the file and Strauss grabbed it and placed it directly into a shredder and by the time she looked up again, Hotch had already left.

"Be careful, Aaron."

* * *

Reid had always been used to stares and whispers during his time at the FBI. Most of them had to do with his age, that people couldn't believe someone so young could become a member of the top behavioral analysis unit ever.

They also whispered things about his intellect because nobody could ever be that smart and that socially awkward ever.

But none of those whispers compared to the hail of gossip that was following him around the day he and his unit returned to active duty.

"There's a pile of paperwork a mile high in your tray. Make sure you sort out the ones Prentiss and Morgan left you first." Rossi joked as he patted Reid on the shoulder and walked up the steps to his office.

"I'll try, Rossi, thanks." Reid responded and took a step forward, nearly bumping into Anderson.

"Doctor Reid! Sorry!" Anderson put up his hand and gave Reid a nervous look.

"It's alright…" Reid reached out but stopped when Anderson gave an undeniable flinch. Years of profiling told Reid all he needed to know and Anderson took off without a word. He sighed and dropped off his messenger bag at his desk, glancing up at Hotch's office to see that his lover was already hard at work catching up on his time lost. This caused Reid to turn to his own pile and he groaned mentally at the sight of it, even if he took out the files Morgan and Prentiss sneaked in, he would still be busy for hours.

He needed coffee.

He decided to stop by the break room before getting started and walked over to it, catching the snippets of conversation as he drew closer.

"Man, I always knew Reid was a pussy but a _fag _who the hell saw that one coming?"

"With Hotchner no less…"

"Really? _Hotchner_? No way, that guy has a stick so far up his ass I'm surprised anything else can fit."

"Well, that's what the rumor mill has going around anyway so maybe it's Derek Morgan he's doing-"

Reid stepped into the room, clearing his throat softly; the three other agents sprang back fairly quickly.

"Please don't stop on my account. I'm just getting some coffee." He said simply and the other agents exchanged glances and left the break area with all speed.

"Woah," Prentiss stated as she had to side step the escaping agents. "What happened? Did you start talking about Star Trek again?" She teased with a small smile.

"No." Reid responded, slamming his coffee mug down with more force than necessary.

"Reid?" Prentiss asked quietly, "What happened?"

Reid turned on his heel to face her and let a small smile flicker across his face, "I was talking about Star Wars."

* * *

Reid spent the rest of his morning hunched over his files with a thoughtful expression on his face. He knew if Prentiss ever found out what had actually gone down in the break room, she and Morgan would have gone to corner those agents so fast that Strauss would have to step in again. Reid didn't want to make any more waves than were necessary and he was content to simply ignore the jibs he received.

He was used to worse.

He contemplated at least telling Hotch was had happened but he knew that his lover was already taxing himself with paperwork as he worked nonstop to get his unit ready for the field once more.

"Hey stranger."

Reid looked up, the pen he had in his mouth hanging dumbly to the side, "Garcia?"

Garcia, dressed to kill in bright green and dark black, smiled at her young genius and held up a tray of cookies.

"Brought you a snack, tiger."

Reid sipped the last of his coffee away and leaned forward with interest, "Are those chocolate chips?"

Hotch had stepped out of his office to seek out Garcia to have her do an off the record search of Ryan Allen's affairs. He needed to know if the man intended to go any further or simply was content ruffling his feathers for a brief moment. He turned at the sound of laughter and saw his unit surrounding Reid's desk and sharing a tray of cookies. Morgan had his arm around Reid's shoulders and Prentiss seemed to be begging Garcia for her recipe.

"It can wait, you know."

Hotch turned to see that Rossi had also stepped out of his office and was now standing next to his friend.

"What can?" Hotch asked, his eyes going back towards his team.

"Whatever it is you're planning on doing next." Rossi responded smoothly, "Take your time, Aaron. Don't rush into things."

Hotch sighed as his eyes fell onto Reid, who was refusing another chocolate chip cookie from Garcia.

"That's just it, Dave. I don't know what kind of time I have."

* * *

**So, I could find the name of the attorney general from the episode Minimal Loss so I just made one up...yay! **

**Don't forget to review!  
**


	5. Dividing

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!**

* * *

Hotch had woken up to find Reid's side of the bed empty but still warm. He scrunched his face and shook his head in an effort to push the sleepiness from his body.

"…no…I understand."

Reid's voice drifted in from the bathroom and it was clear that the young man had taken the call outside the room to give Hotch a chance for the sleep he had been so sorely lacking lately. Yet when Hotch heard the sound of disappointment float through and across Reid's words he couldn't help but sit up in the bed and continue listening.

"Of course. Well, if you ever change your mind…" A pause, "Thank you for the call."

When Reid walked back into the bedroom he wasn't surprised to see Hotch sitting up and giving him a look that demanded an explanation.

"My speech down at the University was canceled." Reid supplied, slipping back in under the covers and curling up against his lover.

"Why?"

"They said it was due to scheduling conflicts but…they've been trying to get me to speak for months."

Hotch's eyes narrowed and he wrapped his arms around Reid's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Spencer."

"It's alright." Reid glanced up at Hotch's face but found it as unreadable as always but Hotch's grip continued to grow tighter until it almost became painful. "Aaron!"

Hotch released Reid quickly and folded his arms in front of himself, "Sorry, Spencer. Lost in thought…"

Reid frowned slightly but leaned over to give Hotch a kiss before pulling back and bounding out of the bed. "I call shower first!" He said lightly and took off back towards the bathroom.

Hotch thought for a moment as he stayed in bed before pushing the event out of his mind. Talks and speeches were often canceled although many of the times it was Reid doing the canceling due to a case of some sort. He doubted it had anything to do with their situation…

Still, it might be something worth looking into.

* * *

On Sunday, Reid had plans with Morgan and Garcia who had practically been demanding the young agent go out with them to a chocolate festival that Garcia had been talking about for weeks and weeks.

"Although I doubt anything there will be sweeter than my little piece of chocolate right here." She had chirped as she patted Morgan's stomach.

Morgan rolled his eyes good naturedly and Reid had given Hotch a kiss good-bye which caused Garcia to squeal and clap her hands together before a stern look from her boss prompted her to clear her throat and announce they should leave before they hit traffic.

Hotch watched the three walk off towards Garcia's car before a tug at the base of his pants caused him to look down.

"Daddy, Spencer's coming back right?"

Hotch smiled down at his son and picked him up in his arms, "Spencer's just going to spend the day with friends. He'll be back."

Jack's smile spread across his face and he hugged his father, "Good!"

* * *

Garcia was in the middle of her two boys with an arm wrapped around each of them; her enthusiasm was completely contagious as they entered the festival. Even Reid had gotten into the spirit by spouting off facts about chocolate's history and uses in day to day life while Morgan simply laughed at his two friends.

"Ooh, I promised Prentiss I'd pick her up something chocolate dipped…" Garcia started to turn but noticed that Reid was engrossed in a few books on the medical abilities of chocolate. "We'll be right back, Reid!"

Reid noticed that they were walking away and raises his hand up to let them know he had heard them but he found the book quite intriguing and decided to finish the chapter before following them.

"Mind if I get by?"

Reid stepped back automatically, not pulling himself from the book.

"It's good to see you again, Spencer."

Now Reid looked up, nearly dropping the book in surprise, "Agent Donovan?"

Agent Donovan from Internal Affairs was dressed in jeans and a windbreaker while flashing Reid a bright smile, "I remember saying you could call me Miles."

Reid placed the book back on the shelf, "What are you doing here?"

Donovan picked up the book just as Reid had set it down and flipped it open, "Huh, did you know that chocolate is an aphrodisiac? Is that what you're studying up?"

Reid folded his arms low across himself, "Not that it would concern you."

"Oh, really? I'd like to think I'm an open and handsome guy, c'mon Doc, we could tear the sheets apart if we wanted to."

"This is harassment." Reid stated firmly, trying hard to not let his eyes go wide at what Donovan was suggesting.

"No, this is two guys possibly talking about hooking up at a chocolate festival."

"I'll report you."

Donovan continued to smile at Reid as if Reid was playing the game he wanted him to play, "Would you?"

"If I need to, yes." Reid responded. He wasn't sure why Donovan put him so much on edge, possibly because the man's only reaction to anything was laughter.

"To who? Internal Affairs?" Donovan laughed, still sounding completely good natured about the whole situation. When Reid didn't respond he added, "You need to learn to relax, Spencer."

"Please leave me alone."

"I don't know if I can do that, Spencer, after all, it's a small world we might just run into each other from time to time." He shrugged and set the book back down as Reid had earlier, "Besides, what I really wanted was to see you at your lecture but I heard it was canceled. Shame, really."

He patted Reid on the shoulder and took in the shocked look on the young doctor's face, "Catch you around, Spencer."

He walked off into the crowd and disappeared quickly, even though Reid had been attempting to follow him with his eyes as he left.

A strange nervousness seized him for an instant as he recalled the conversation he just had. Who _could_ he report Miles Donovan to if the man insisted on keeping up on his veiled threat of following him around? More importantly was _why _the agent had decided to do so without orders…unless….

"Hey pretty boy, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Morgan's deep and warm voice derailed Reid's train of thought and he peered up at Morgan with a faint smile.

"Sorry, it was nothing…"

Morgan frowned slightly but nodded all the same, "Garcia wants to show you a chocolate statue of something geeky I'm sure you'll like. Let's not keep the lady waiting."

Reid nodded as well and allowed Morgan to steer him towards Garcia and then allowed the savvy computer tech to push Donovan from his impressive mind for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Hope everyone had a good holiday! **


	6. Plans

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

Garcia dropped Reid off at Hotch's home and handed him a bag of treats she had gotten for him from the festival. He had been quiet the entire ride back, deep in thought over the incident with Agent Donovan. Morgan was eying him warily as if he some deep seated big brother instinct knew that something was wrong with his friend but Reid had steadfastly refused to acknowledge anything.

"See you tomorrow morning baby cakes!" Garcia called as Reid slipped out of the vehicle.

Reid turned and waved at the two with a faint smile, "Sure!" He walked back up the few steps that led up to Hotch's front door and let himself in quietly.

"You're back later than I thought you'd be." Hotch's voice carried over to him from the living room where he was sitting next to a reading light with what looked to be a case file on his lap. He was already in his night clothes, a pair of old FBI sweats and his hair looked tussled as if he had been running his hand through it.

"We went out to get something to eat." Reid responded, slipping out of his worn converse and padding over to the couch to sit next to Hotch, leaning comfortably against the older man so he could peer into his lap and at the file. "What is that?"

"Nothing special." Hotch said easily, shutting the file.

"Aaron…" Reid muttered, briefly annoyed at his lover but he decided that he had more pressing matters to bring up, "Something happened at the festival…"

"If it has something to do with Garcia, Morgan and chocolate I'd rather not hear about it." Hotch chuckled and Reid frowned again.

"Agent Donovan was there."

The smile fell from Hotch's face so quickly that it was as if it had never been there to begin with. "What?"

Reid leaned back to watch Hotch's expression as he explained what went down at the festival. "…and it was mostly very subtle…"

"He propositioned you! If he's threating you Spencer then we need to report him."

Reid shook his head, "Actually, I planned on letting him continue."

One of Hotch's eyebrows went up on his face, he was curious, "Why would you do that?"

Reid smiled a smile that even Hotch only saw now and again, it was mischievous and broad. Reid had a plan and he was getting ready to strike back at Donovan and whoever he was working for in his own way.

"Do you trust me, Aaron?"

"Of course I do." Hotch responded as Reid motioned for him to lean closer.

"Well, let me explain it to you then…"

* * *

Reid arrived at the BAU offices thirty minutes after Hotch the next day. He had stopped off at his favorite corner café for his first coffee of many and was feeling like this was going to be a good morning when he saw that Hotch and Strauss were clearly in the middle of a disagreement in her office.

"What's going on?" Reid asked Rossi who had been standing down in the bullpen watching the back and forth with a mild look of amusement on his face.

"Strauss is trying to probe Hotch for information but Hotch could teach Fort Knox some new tricks and she's not happy."

Reid looked a bit unsettled despite Rossi's calm tone, "What sort of information?"

"I have no idea," Rossi drawled out, his dark eyes settling onto Reid, "Do you?"

"Why would you assume I know?" Reid asked, his voice going only slightly higher.

"The same reason you assume I do." Rossi laughed and headed up to his office to finish up some of his work.

Reid rolled his eyes and dropped his bag onto his desk, sifting through it to pull out some files and extra papers he would need for the day.

"Oh…hey Reid." Garcia walked up, holding a file close to herself, "Where's the boss man?"

"With Strauss." Reid responding, nodding his head over in the general direction. Garcia looked over with a small frown playing across her bright red lips. "What's wrong?" He added.

"He asked me to give him some information…" She trailed off and shook her head, "I'll get him later then."

"Garcia," Reid called out to keep her from walking away, "Information on what?"

She gave him another smile, this one filled with an apology, "Sorry, Reid. I really have to go!" She took off before he could stop her again and he stared at the spot she had just occupied for several minutes in apparent disbelief. He had laid everyone out for Hotch last night, pushing his own instinct to keep the problem to himself because he knew it would be important to Hotch. Hell, the other man just last night had even admitted that he trusted him!

He shook his head, it could be anything…he knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. He and Hotch were on the same team and they needed to stay unified or everything was simply going to fall apart faster.

"Hey kid." Morgan's voice cut through his thoughts, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course. What is it Morgan?"

"I think baby girl got me on the back with a few of those sparkly stickers of hers, can you check it out and pull them off?"

Reid had to laugh as he stood next to Morgan's shoulder and pulled off the first one, "Wow, she really got you…"

"Last time I let her hug me." Morgan grumbled, holding on to Reid's arm as the younger man leaned across his back to get a few more.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner had glanced away from the lecture he was receiving from his section chief long enough to spot something odd in the bullpen. From the angle it was at it looked as if Morgan and Reid were caught in some half way hug with Morgan pulling Reid's arm across his chest and Reid caressing Morgan's back. Hotch's eyes narrowed but Strauss's voice pulled him sharply back to her,

"Am I clear, Aaron? I need to be aware of what's going on with my units, if anything comes up that has to do with what we've talked about then I want you to report it to me."

"Yes ma'am." And with that he left her office, having to catch and stop himself from marching down to Reid and Morgan to find out what was going on. When he got closer he could almost feel the relief flow through him as he pieced together the scene. Reid's hands were filled with stickers and Morgan was attempting to look at his back,

"I got them all, Morgan, calm down." Reid chuckled, setting the stickers down on his desk. "Oh, Hotch, how was your meeting?"

"Long and drawn out." Hotch responded curtly, still surprised at himself for the earlier thought he had had about Morgan and Reid, "We have a few consults to finish today, so let's make sure we get them all done promptly."

* * *

Miles Donovan was inside his apartment, cooking himself a steak for dinner. His home was cluttered but also comfortable filled with pictures, movie posters and memorabilia. He set his dinner plate down on his kitchen table before plopping into the seat himself. He began to cut his steak and when he had enough pieces he dropped his knife and pulled a folder over. He flicked it open as he took a bite of food and reread the information for what had to have been the fiftieth time.

It was a file on Aaron Hotchner and Spencer Reid which was chalk full of interesting tidbits but he what really focused on was Reid's picture.

The younger man intrigued him more than he thought he would have and when he had been offered the chance to do more than simply ask him questions at Internal Affairs, he had jumped on it almost on the spot.

His partner, Edwards, had decided that messing with the two and having them suspended for a few days had been punishment enough and while Donovan had been inclined to agree, their benefactor did not.

Donovan wasn't exactly sure why Ryan Allen hated Aaron Hotchner but when Edwards had put his foot down and backed out of any further plans, the congressman had appealed to Donovan, using the man's clear interest in Dr. Reid.

He was going to be paid amazingly well and he had a feeling the congressman was dipping in to his wife's vast fortune for this one and there was a promise that if any backlash came to light he would be protected by the congressman's power and friends.

He snorted at the thought, he knew that if backlash came the congressman was going to just cover his own ass and leave him to wolves, which is why he had begun a contingency plan. He grinned down at Reid's picture and shrugged to himself; even if he did get caught he knew he was still going to have one hell of a good time.

* * *

**So it looks like Reid's got a plan, Hotch has a plan, Donovan has a plan and Morgan has stickers**


	7. Execute

**Special Thanks to harrietamidala1691 for finding out the attorney general's name from Minimal Loss, it's Jim Wells, and so I'll be changing it lol thanks again! **

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thanks to all reviewers!**

**

* * *

**

"You're certain, Garcia?"

"Yes sir. It's just like whatever it was Chief Strauss showed you, the only things that connect Congressman Wells to the two agents are routine and not really out of the ordinary but…"

Hotch glanced up at her, "What is it?"

"I've only been looking through legal means, sir. If it's important I can hack into-"

"No." Hotch cut her off quickly with a firm tone, "Thank you for offering Garcia but the last thing I need is the best tech analyst I've ever had to be arrested."

Garcia looked pleased and shuffled a bit, "The best, sir?"

Hotch gave her a grateful smile in return, "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Garcia. Thank you for looking into this, if anything else comes up I'll speak to you again."

"Of course!" She gathered up her items and started for the door.

"Oh, and Garcia?"

She turned on heel and glanced back at Hotch, "Sir?"

"This stays between the two of us for the moment."

"Yes sir."

Garcia pulled open the door and looked a bit surprised to see Reid standing there with his hand poised as if he had been about to knock. "Hey sweetness!" She cooed before gently brushing him to the side and hurrying back to her office.

"Is there something you need, Reid?"

Reid's eyes darted back to Hotch and he pulled the door somewhat closed behind him as he entered the office, "You never have closed door sessions with Garcia." He observed quietly.

"I have a lot of papers to finish, Spencer."  
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Reid asked, nearly speaking over Hotch. "Because I was under the impression that we laid everything on the table last night."

"Close the door all the way, Spencer."

Reid did as he was told and stepped over to stand in front of Hotch's desk, "So what is it?"

"I had Garcia pull the files on those two internal affairs agents." Hotch said quietly, his mouth barely moving.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Reid slowly took a seat, his quick burst of incredulousness being overtaken by something close to worry.

"Because there's nothing there, nothing that she can find or that I can use. I wanted your idea regarding Agent Donovan to be our plan B not our starting move."

"Why? I thought you said you trusted me?" Reid asked hastily.

"That's not it at all, Spencer. If those two are getting orders from someone higher up I simply want to be careful about how we deal with this."

"Your idea of being careful is keeping me out of the loop?"

"Strauss and I-"

"Strauss? _Strauss?_" Reid's voice nearly cracked as he repeated the section chief's name. "How is she helping?"

"She's the one who showed me that there's a connection between Agents Edwards and Donovan and Congressman Wells."

Reid's face went from indignation to curious in a split second, "Wells? The man who botched the raid on the Cyrus compound?" He rose from the chair across from Hotch, still looking more curious than anything else, "When were you going to tell me he was involved?"

"I wanted to completely positive that this was the case before-"

"Before what, Aaron?" Reid pushed a hand through his hair, "I understand that classic alpha male behavior dictates that you feel the need to be in charge but to keep something like that from me? It's just I told you everything and you're…"

He spat out a word that Hotch was vaguely certain was Latin but before he could interject, Reid was once again speaking, "If you needed space Hotch, you could've have just asked. I'm done with my papers so I'm taking a half day, see you tomorrow sir."

He ignored Hotch's calls for him to return and strode over to the office door, pulling it open and marching out of it.

Hotch watched him go with fire burning in his eyes. He knew he should have told Reid, they were partners in this but that instinctual need to protect his lover had overridden any other logic. He decided on giving Reid some time to cool down before he went to speak with him, sighing he picked up his office phone and dialed a number he hadn't dialed in nearly seven years.

* * *

Reid left the BAU without saying good-bye to his teammates, wanting a quick and question free exit while he had the chance. He walked down past the coffee shop, intending to go straight to the subway to catch an early train back to his apartment. He knew he had to look upset because he'd never been great with hiding his emotions but he couldn't help but stumble when a voice reached over to him,

"So who went around and made you sad?"

Reid turned; regaining what was left of his balance and saw that Donovan had walked out of the coffee shop, holding a metal container in his hands.

"Don't give me that look Spencer, I was just getting coffee." Donovan muttered, eyeing the glare Reid was sending in his direction. "Believe me, this wasn't planned."

Reid took a moment to profile his mannerisms; Donovan seemed genuinely surprised to see him and less like he had set up yet another 'surprise' meeting.

"I have to go." Reid finally announced, a bit unhappy that he found the man more tolerable when caught off guard.

"Wait, Spencer…" Donovan held up his container and gave it another little shake, "Have some coffee; you look like you need it."

Reid stood stock still as he contemplated Donovan's offer for a moment before he nodded slowly, "Alright."

"Look if you're going to say no-" Donovan paused, "What?"

"I said alright, I could use some coffee." Reid replied patiently.

Donovan grinned and motioned to an outdoor table, "Take a seat and I'll get us some cups."

They sat and chatted for nearly an hour, the two finding it easy to swap stories about surprising mutual interest. It ended when Donovan glanced at his watch and sighed unhappily, "I have to get back to the office, Spencer but…" He pushed himself out of the seat and collected their cups, "How about dinner?"

Reid knew he had reached a line and that to accept Donovan's offer would definitely be something that Hotch was clearly not going to be pleased about but it was part of his plan. If he could catch Donovan off guard then perhaps the man would let something slip that he could use to help out Hotch. They did it all the time in investigations and Reid had decided the other night that he was going to treat this situation like an investigation…with or without Hotch's approval.

"…sure." Reid sounded hesitant, knowing if he seemed too eager Donovan might suspect he had something else in the works, "There's a Thai place a few blocks from here."

"I love Thai. How's eight o'clock?" Donovan replied and Reid nodded, getting up from the table himself. They shook hands and began to walk in separate directions. Reid knew the other man was playing a game because he was too and he also knew that it was going to come down to who could play the game better. He knew he could but he doubted he was going to enjoy it.

* * *

**Don't forget to review! **


	8. Crossroad

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers! Keep it up!  
**

* * *

Reid's mind was in overdrive the entire trip back to his apartment. He sat in a corner seat on the subway, his legs crossed but never still as he played with the strap of his messenger bag.

'_I'm going to dinner with the man who's helping the man who's conspiring to ruin Aaron's life…what am I doing? Can I handle this?'_

"I have to…"

"Have to what, dear?"

Reid blinked and looked to his left to see that an elderly woman was staring at him with gentle curiosity. She gave him a small smile before reaching out and patting his still moving hands.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind."

"I-I do, actually. I'm sorry, was I bothering you?"

"No, dear, this is my stop anyway. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She gathered up her bags, Reid reaching down to hand her the last one and she toddled off with a cheery wave. Reid sighed, grateful for the small distraction but wishing it had lasted longer.

He then mentally groaned when something else flashed through his brilliant mind. His car was at Hotch's place and unless he wanted to take the train back at whatever late hour he and Donovan parted ways he would have to go and get it. He decided on stopping by his apartment first and getting ready, he was dying for a hot shower, before calling a taxi to take him over to Hotch's. He wouldn't even have to see the other man and he could just pick up his car and go.

* * *

The rest of the day in the office was not a pleasant one for Aaron Hotchner. His team easily noticed that Reid had gone home early; something the young genius _never_ did and was punishing him for it by being distant complete with Morgan being downright cold when he turned in his files at the end of the day.

Hotch sighed into his desk and checked the time, he had an appointment to keep and couldn't spend the next few hours looking over the files like he normally did. He set them aside in his tray for the next day and pulled on his suit jacket. He turned off the lights to his office and walked out of it, pointedly ignoring the surprised looks on his unit's faces.

"Playing hookey, Aaron?"

Hotch turned to give Rossi a look and the older man held up his hands in mock defeat, "I'll see you all tomorrow."

He heard the chorus of good-byes and heard them shuffle behind him as he led the way to the elevator.

* * *

Reid had stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his slim waist, hooking his fingers into it so it wouldn't fall down as he walked towards his bedroom. He sat down on the corner of his unmade bed, sinking into it with a steady gaze at the floor. He gave the clock on his bed stand a quick glance, it was nearing five. Reid knew he could be ready in time to catch his five forty-five cab and still get his car before Hotch even left the office. His insides squirmed at the idea of going around the older man's back but steeled themselves each time he remembered that Hotch had gone around _his _back. All in all it made for a nauseating experience.

He dropped the towel to the ground, kicking it over towards his hamper and pulled on a pair of black boxers. He decided on wearing almost everything black, slacks that fit him well with a black button up shirt. He kept the shirt untucked but completed the outfit with a red tie. He brushed his hair back behind his ears and picked up his messenger bag, digging out his wallet and slipping it into his back pocket. He picked up his car keys and gave himself one last look before walking out the door.

* * *

"I'm glad you could come."

A gray haired older man arched his eyebrow up towards Hotch as he looked over his cup of coffee at him, "After everything you did for me all those years ago? How could I not?"

Hotch chanced a small glance into the next room to make sure Jack was still engrossed in his fort building, "Things change." He responded quietly.

"Some things do and some people do." The man agreed, setting down his cup, "But I doubted you called me for a philosophical chat."

Hotch pushed his hand through his thick dark locks and eyed the other man almost warily; "I need to ask a favor, Charles."

"What sort of favor?"

"The kind that stays off the grid."

Charles made a sort of tutting sound, "Well, that explains why you didn't want to meet at Quantico."

"I assume you're familiar with agents Edwards and Donovan." Hotch muttered, eying his old friend for any subtle signs of acknowledgment out of habit.

"Well, they don't answer to me directly but I have worked with both of them off and on over the years." He waved a hand, "Those were the two agents who questioned you and Dr. Reid, right?"

When only Hotch's eyebrow rose Charles was inclined to add, "Even Internal Affairs likes to gossip Aaron but from what I understand, the matter was closed."

"For the moment it is but I believe that Dr. Reid and I were being targeted by Congressman Wells using those two agents."

Charles, who had chosen that time to take another sip of his drink, sputtered, "Are you accusing a United States Congressman of abusing his powers?"

"Not without proof." Hotch mused, handing his colleague a napkin which caused Charles to scowl deeply at him.

"I can't help you collect proof that might not even be there!"

Hotch quickly raised a hand, both to keep his friend quiet so he wouldn't disturb Jack and to give himself a moment to explain his motives, "I just wanted to ask what you knew about the two agents."

Charles still looked perturbed at Hotch's question but he noticeably relaxed, "Edwards is a good man but Donovan can talk him into anything when he wants to. If you really believe there's some connection between this congressman and an agent, I'd look at Donovan."

"Is Donovan the type to do someone's dirty work?" Hotch asked.

"See, that's just it. Donovan's the type of guy who prefers to skate by…but if something peaks his interest, he'll go for it like a dog at a steak."

Hotch felt something go cold in his chest, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I have to guess, something else about your case caught his eye." Charles laughed good naturedly, "If you want I'll do a little digging and get back to you."

"I'd appreciate that."

* * *

Spencer Reid stepped out of the taxi cab to find that not only was Hotch's car present but another vehicle he didn't recognize.

"The one day he leaves the office early…" Reid muttered until a rude cough from the cab driver alerted him that he still had yet to pay. He slapped a few crisp bills down into the driver's fat fingers and walked over to his car.

He caught himself staring at the new car, wondering who it belonged to and if Hotch had left the office early just to meet up with them. He frowned at the thought and forced it from his mind as he pulled open the car door. His hand froze on the steering wheel as if to give himself one last chance to back out of his own plan but he shook his head and turned on the car, which started without any problem. He drove off just as Hotch and Charles were walking out of the building.

"We should catch up again, Aaron, over a much lighter topic of course."

Hotch smiled and shook his friend's hand, "Thank you for everything, Charles." His eyes flicked over to check on Reid's car out of habit but went wide a second later.

"Something wrong?" Charles asked, following Hotch's line of sight.

"…no. I just didn't realize Spencer had picked up his car."

"Oh, that's a shame. I would have loved to meet him."

They exchanged their good byes quickly then Charles left, leaving Hotch standing there staring at the spot Reid's car had been only a few hours before with the words Charles had left him with swimming in his mind.

* * *

"I can't believe I've never been to this place before!"

Reid couldn't help but smirk at Donovan as he watched the other man down another alcoholic drink, "I used to come here somewhat often."

"Mhm." Donovan pushed back his hair and gave Reid another once over, "So, we've talked about movies, tv, music…what else is there?"

"Books." Reid supplied, pushing what was left of his food around on his plate.

"I feel like that would just open a can of worms with you." Donovan chuckled as he handed his empty plate up to the waitress, "But I'd love to hear what you like to read."

Reid's mouth went a little slack as he spoke; rarely did anyone ever out right tell him they'd like to hear his opinions on his interests. His team listened, of course, when he spoke and he and Hotch had had many conversations late at night in each other's arms but this seemed almost foreign to him.

"Don't make that sort of face, it's a bit suggestive." Donovan added, causing Reid to close his mouth as a faint blush fell across his face.

The check came before Reid had the chance to answer so he busied himself with pulling out his wallet, "Hang on, I have some twenties…"

"I'm paying." Donovan responded, slapping down his debit card.

"You don't have to; I can at least get mine."

"Don't be stupid, I'm paying." Donovan said almost forcefully and Reid slipped his wallet back into his back pocket. "But since I'm paying I get to choose where we have dessert."

"…alright." Reid sighed and took another sip of his water with lemon. "Where are we going for dessert?"  
"My place."

Warning bells went off so quickly in Reid's mind that he nearly spilled his drink, "Y-you place?"

Donovan gave him a wolfish grin, "Easy, Spencer. I'm not going to deflower you or anything, I just happen to have a chocolate crème pie back at home that I felt like sharing."

Reid took another sip of water to give himself time to think. He could tell Donovan was quick witted because any attempt Reid had made during dinner to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go in had been steered right back by Donovan. Going to his home would give him the chance to poke around and see if he could find anything else that could help.

He had already gone this far, why not further?  
"Alright but I'm driving, you've already had three drinks."

"I'm not leaving my car." Donovan stated, folding his arms across his chest. "How about you drive mine to my place and I'll drop you back off later tonight?"

"How far do you live from here?" Reid asked, wanting to know if he could walk from Donovan's place if he needed to.

"Let's see…" Donovan breathed out for a moment, "A mile? Mile and a half? That apartment complex by the movie theater."

Reid nodded; he knew the area and could easily walk back to his car so he wouldn't have to rely on Donovan for transportation if he didn't have to.

"Fine, give me your keys."

Donovan's grin widened and he plopped the keys into Reid's outstretched hand before wrapping his fingers around Reid's wrist and pulling him up from the seat.

"This'll be a blast, Spencer."

* * *

**I like chocolate creme pie...just sayin'**


	9. Assualt

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers! Keep it up!**

**Warnings: Adult situations, potty mouth etc.  
**

* * *

They were sitting in Donovan's black Dodge charger when Reid's phone went off.

"You gonna get that?" Donovan asked, pointedly staring at Reid's hip.

"I'll call them back when I'm not driving." Reid responded, glancing over at Donovan with a sigh, "You should put on your seat belt. Seat belts save lives, you know."

Instead of rolling his eyes at Reid's statement like most of his colleagues would have, Donovan leaned over without complaint and strapped on his seat belt. "You're right, sorry."

Reid seemed pleased as he parked the car into the apartment complex, turning off the engine and handing the keys back to Donovan.

"I'll go up first and pull the pie out of the fridge. It's apartment fourteen eighty-nine, just let yourself in when you're done." Donovan slid out of the car at the same time Reid did and locked the doors, walking off as Reid pulled out his phone.

He groaned mentally at the name on the missed calls list, Aaron Hotchner.

He knew it could be a case, so with only slight hesitation he redialed his lover.

"Where are you?" Was the first thing he was greeted with after only one ring.

"We don't have a case?" Reid replied, annoyed at Hotch's greeting.

"Not at the moment but I want to know where you are."

"I'm out." Reid said vaguely, "Why?"

He could hear Hotch breathing in, trying to keep himself stoic and completely in control and Reid was a little pleased to hear that he was getting under Hotch's skin. "I talked to an old friend from IAB today." Hotch finally said.

"Oh? First I've heard about that, Aaron."

"Spencer, listen to me. He told me about Donovan, that he probably didn't just choose to help Wells for money, that something else caught his attention."

Reid's mind tucked away that useful piece of information but his anger towards Hotch kept him from acknowledging it, "If that's all you have to say, thank you but I have to go."

"Spencer, you're not out with him are you?" Hotch's voice had gone, if possible, even lower.

"I'm by the movie theater, Aaron and I really have to go." He hung up before Hotch could protest further and tucked the phone back into his pocket.

He pondered what Hotch had said as he walked up towards Donovan's apartment; the man had left the front door slightly ajar for him. He decided that he couldn't stay long, that he would try and get a quick peek around and then promptly excuse himself.

"Miles?" Reid called out, stepping into the entryway and closing the door behind himself with a click. He received no response and figured that the other man might have simply passed out in his own place. He took a few steps forward and saw the kitchen off to his right with a chocolate crème pie sitting at the table with a few slices already missing.

Frowning now Reid continued his walk, seeing the living room was vacant but found where the missing pie slices had been dropped off at. He spotted a light on in what he assumed was Donovan's bedroom and moved towards it but still not finding any sign of the other man. Thoroughly confused now, he decided he was probably better off stepping back outside and calling Morgan or even Hotch, he turned to leave when a piece of paper caught his eye. He took a quick look around to assure himself that he was alone before he reached out and brought it to eye level. It was note, scrawled in two types of writing but it seemed the paper was a copy of the original. The top half simply read,

_'Will you continue on without him?_' while the second part Reid recognized as Donovan's own writing stated,

_'I will but forget about Hotchner, I want the Doc.'_

Ice flowed through Reid's veins as he quickly saw the numbers at the bottom of the page were routing and bank account numbers.

"I really wish you hadn't seen that."

Reid spun around on his heel and saw Donovan standing behind him, holding his side arm directly level with Reid's chest. He had been out on the balcony smoking when Reid had entered and both men were clearly surprised the situation had turned into this.

"What is this, Donovan?" Reid demanded softly.

"Oh don't act like you don't know what it is, Spencer. It's what you came here to find, isn't it?"

"So you're going to just shoot me?" Reid licked his lips out of habit and Donovan's eyes narrowed in on his action.

"No."

"Then what do you want?"

"You." Donovan said simply, he took a step forward which caused Reid to step back, "Don't be like this Spencer."

"What?"

"You came here knowing what I had done to Hotchner, what I wanted to do to you…" He kept walking forward, forcing Reid to back himself up against the wall. "You want it too."

Reid forced himself to lock eyes with Donovan, trying to match his alpha male dominance, "I don't want anything from you."

He flinched when Donovan's hand struck the wall next to his head and the taller man leaned toward him with a smirk, "Then why did you agree to come to dinner…more than that why did you agree to come back to my place?"

Reid fidgeted when he felt the barrel of Donovan's gun digging into his ribs and the other man closed the gap between them. "Sure, to Hotchner and anyone else you came here looking for proof that I'm a scumbag but secretly I knew what you really wanted."

The gun came up underneath his chin and Reid's head was forced back, exposing his neck to Donovan who seemed delighted at the sight.

"You wanted me to fuck you."

* * *

Hotch had to keep himself from groaning in frustration as Reid hung up on him. He paced for a few moments, going over the conversation in his head. Reid hadn't sounded afraid or had used any of the FBI's coded messages so at the time Hotch spoke with him he was safe. But something else was nagging at the back of his mind.

'_I'm by the movie theater.' _

That was it.

Spencer would have said he was in or at least entering the theater if that's where he really was, Reid thrived on words and word play, he wouldn't just say anything without meaning. Hotch's fingers were dialing again and he only had to wait a few rings for his answer.

"Jessica, I'm sorry it's last minute but something's come up, do you mind if I drop Jack off for the night?"

She answered in the affirmative because she loved her nephew more than anything and there was something tense in her brother in law's voice. Hotch scrambled to collect Jack and get him to Jessica's safely so he could go and check out his theory.

* * *

Reid's mind was racing at a million miles per hour as Donovan leaned over him, keeping the gun close, waiting for Reid's answer. Reid knew he had no chance of overpowering the bigger man and he couldn't even run as long as the gun was out and in Donovan's hand.

He needed a distraction.

"…you're right." Reid said quietly, letting his eyes fall to the floor as a sign of submission.

Donovan's face lit up and he brought his hand down to Reid's chin, caressing it with a gentle motion, "I knew it. I _knew _it. Although I expected you to deny just a bit more…"

Reid kept his eyes down as Donovan forced his head up some more, flushing at the thought of what he had to do next. The flush wasn't missed by Donovan, who simply misread it as a sign of Reid's actual attraction to him.

Reid's thin fingers moved up and started to play with Donovan's collar as if he was still hesitant about the whole thing, "Aaron and I…things have been tense, we…we don't even have sex anymore. I told Aaron I came here to catch you but really…well, you're right. I wanted something more out of this."

Donovan grinned wickedly and leaned down to cover Reid's mouth with his own, still keeping the gun close to Reid's body.

Everything in Reid screamed at him to push the man away but instead he leaned into the kiss, opening his mouth and allowing Donovan to push his tongue in, giving the man complete dominance. His hands worked their way around Donovan's neck, running through his hair and giving him the leverage to begin pushing his body against the bigger man's. He could feel Donovan grinning through the kiss and cringed inwardly but he managed to keep his face calm as he leaned back and licked his lips, knowing full well how it attracted Donovan's attention.

"Bed?" He asked, giving Donovan the best set of puppy dog eyes he could manage. Donovan nodded and pulled them both from the wall, turning his back to Spencer as he walked over to his night stand. Reid knew Donovan's mind was becoming dull with lust and this was probably his only chance. As soon as he heard the gun being set down he lunged forward, pushing Donovan roughly into his bed frame. The gun was knocked down behind the night stand and Reid turned and ran for the door, hoping his speed greatly surpassed Donovan's.

He flung open the front door and tore out of the building, running for some time he felt a stitch in his side. He slowed down to a stop and glanced back at the now distant apartment complex, digging out his cell phone as he did so. He started to dial just as he began to walk again, this time heading in the direction of the Thai restaurant.

"Spencer?" Hotch answered and Reid felt his throat tighten up.

"You were right about Donovan," Reid stammered out quickly, "I'm walking to my car right now it's parked at that Thai place a few miles from the theater. I also think I have proof to connect him to Wells and-  
"Spencer." Hotch interrupted, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yes, I'm…I'm fine, Aaron. I just had to get out of there."

"I'll pick you up."

"You don't have to, I'll drive to your place and-" Reid cut off with a cry and Hotch called out his name but all he could hear over the line was the sound of struggle and flesh meeting flesh in a brutal clashing.

"Spencer!" Hotch nearly yelled into the phone as he started to break every speed limit to get to Reid's location. The line went dead and Hotch hung up, dialing 9-1-1 instead.

"This is SSA Aaron Hotchner; I'm reporting an assault…"

* * *

Reid was tackled from behind during his conversation with Hotch. He hit the ground roughly and was turned onto his back with Donovan nearly sitting on him now.

"You little shit!" Donovan spat and he struck Reid in the jaw with his fist until the younger man was knocked out. He got off of Reid and spotted the cell phone, bringing it up to hear Hotch call out for his lover in worry. Donovan's lip curled in disgust and turned off the phone, throwing it away. He picked up Reid easily and held him bridal style as he walked towards his car. He smirked when he remembered how easy it was to simply catch Reid off guard as soon as the other man had felt he was safe.  
Reid was a fool; Donovan knew he had few options the second he left his apartment. He knew the man planned to either get Hotchner to pick him up or head back to his own vehicle and Donovan was proud that he had put money on Reid going back to the Thai restaurant.

The rest had been simple.

The only thing Donovan felt angry about, besides getting blue balled, was the fact that he could no longer go back to his apartment now that Reid had made contact with Hotchner. He tossed the slim man into his backseat and engaged the child locks before shutting the door. He took a quick look at his hostage and knew exactly where he wanted to go next.

He smiled to himself and began to drive away just as police sirens sounded their approach.

"Too late, Hotchner."

* * *

**Donovan better hope Hotch never gets his hands on him oyyyy **


	10. Movement

**Don't own Criminal Minds**

**Thank you all reviewers!**

**Warnings: sexual situations, language, etc.  
**

* * *

One police cruiser was sweeping the block looking for signs of the reported assault while two officers on foot walked the mile long area up and down. Hotch had just pulled up and alerted Rossi to the situation but he still wasn't exactly pleased with the limited amount of man power he saw.

"Sir, we got some blood here and…it looks like a cell phone."

Hotch was pulled from his thoughts as an officer moved to walk him towards the phone's location.

"Not a whole lot of blood, Agent Hotchner." He said carefully as the other officer brought up the cell phone in a plastic evidence bag, "Do you recognize this?"

"It's Agent Reid's cell phone." Hotch responded without any hesitation. He reached out to grab it when his own cell went off.

"Sir? It's Garcia. I looked up everything Agent Rossi asked and Miles Donovan drives a 2009 Dodge Charger, black. I'm setting up a tracker for his cell in case he makes any calls and I'm alerting the police about Donovan's license plate numbers."

"Thank you, Garcia."

"Let me know if you need anything else, sir."

Hotch assured her that he would if he did and he hung up in time for Rossi to approach him with Morgan trailing behind.

"He insisted on coming." Rossi explained and Hotch nodded in response.

"How did this guy even grab Reid?" Morgan demanded, his eyes narrowing down on Hotch. Rossi glanced over as well and Hotch sighed quietly.

"Reid was at his apartment."

* * *

"You told me that I could use this place if things got hairy…you promised!"

Reid awoke slowly, his head throbbing and his arms stiff and unresponsive. He groaned and glanced upwards, seeing that they were handcuffed over his head to a headboard of a bedframe. His feet were thankfully free but his shoes were missing as was his shirt. He could feel blood still caked on his face and turned his head slightly to get a better view of the area he was in.

It was a bedroom, not a motel.

It seemed to have been stripped of anything identifying even the sheets on the bed were gone and Donovan's angry tone was floating from somewhere at least one room over.

"Oh, I could only use the place if I didn't bring a kidnapped agent to it! Was that your stipulation, Wells? If I don't see money in my account by tonight-enough to get me and the Doc to the border plus more, then I'm going public."

He stepped into the room, holding the phone loosely in his hand as he caught Reid's eye.

"Oh, you're up." Donovan was shirtless as well, now wearing a pair of black sweat pants. Reid could tell he probably was in the shower before his phone call because his hair was still dripping and catching on his face. "You slept like a rock; I almost thought I had hit you too hard."

Reid glared as Donovan sat on the edge of the sparse bed and was tempted to kick the other man, just because he could.

"You know, I know what you're thinking right now." Donovan continued to speak when Reid would not engage him, "You're thinking, 'Aaron's going to rescue me', 'Aaron's going to make the bad man go away'. Right? That's what you're thinking?"

He leaned over Reid and propped himself up with his arm, using the other hand to push some of Reid's hair out of his face.

"But that's not going to happen, Spencer and if, by some off chance, Hotchner does show up? I'll kill him and I'll make you watch. Same goes if I see that other big guy…Morgan was it? I don't care."

Donovan paused thoughtfully, his hand going down to stroke Reid's chest, "You hang out with some very tough men, Spencer. I guess I found your kink."

Reid gasped when Donovan twisted his nipple and attempted to arch himself away, "My k-kink?"

"You _love_ to be dominated, don't you? You _need _to have some man on top of you, plowing you in the mattress, fucking you senseless. Face it, it's what you _want_."

"No." Reid snapped back, "You're only right about one thing, I was thinking about Aaron rescuing me because I know he will."

"Cute."

"Stop touching me." Reid snarled as Donovan's hand traced patterns along his bare chest.

"Why? You seemed pretty eager back at my place."

"I was only doing that to get away from you."

"Really?" Donovan's tone was filled with sarcasm as he continued exploring Reid's chest, "All those FBI training courses and they best way to get away from me was to make out?"

"Distraction…catching you off-" Reid broke off with a groan. Donovan had dipped his hand into Reid's pants, giving the immobile agent a squeeze.

"I might not be a profiler but I'm pretty sure I was right about that domination thing."

* * *

"You _let_ Reid go off with this guy?" Morgan took a step towards Hotch but the older man didn't back down an inch.

"I didn't just let Reid go off with him." Hotch replied calmly, though both Morgan and Rossi noticed his shoulders tensing.

"Reid's a smart guy, Morgan." Rossi muttered, "He wouldn't just go with Donovan willingly unless he needed to." Rossi leveled his gaze with Hotch, "So the question is why he would need to?"

Hotch explained the situation to them in as much detail as he cared to admit. He watched Rossi's face as the older profiler pieced together the story with understanding while Morgan's anger grew at every instance he mentioned Donovan.

"Congressman Wells is behind this?" Morgan asked, still looking as if he was waiting to punch someone.

"We couldn't officially prove it." Hotch replied calmly.

"So, Reid went to try and find evidence at Donovan's place even though you told him it was a risky move." Rossi cocked his eyebrow at Hotch, "You always pick the feisty ones, Aaron."

Hotch sighed, appreciating Rossi's view on the subject but he knew it still wasn't going to get him any closer to finding Reid.

"…if Wells hired Donovan maybe he's helping to hide him too?" Morgan stated quickly, turning to face the other two.

"Helping a man hide a kidnapped Federal agent is a big leap from just trying to ruin someone's career through politics." Rossi reasoned.

"That's only if he knows Donovan has Reid. He might just assume Donovan's hiding out on his own."

Rossi turned to face Hotch with an almost playful look on his face, "I believe it's time we visited Mr. Wells to see what he has to say about this."

* * *

Reid squirmed violently, bucking and kicking out as Donovan's hand trailed down to his crotch once more.

"Don't struggle, it only makes it worse." Donovan ordered.

"Are you speaking from experience?" Reid countered and he felt Donovan's hand halt on his body.

"Are you profiling me, Spencer?" The larger man's voice was soft but Reid saw the anger that flashed through his eyes.

"No, I'm sure even a cadet from the academy could see that you were abused as a child. You're not overly aggressive in public which leads me to believe that your abuser was probably a woman. You continue to be passive and approachable because it's what was drilled into you but when you find someone that you feel like you can dominate you hold onto them with an iron grip and-AH!"

Reid was cut off by a hard backhand to his face and he lay still for a moment in an effort to keep Donovan from striking him further.

"You think that spouting off a few words is going to save you? You said it yourself Spencer, I don't let go of the ones I can dominate."

Reid gasped when he felt his pants being pulled down, his boxers following close after. "You don't have to do this."

"No, I don't but I really, really want to."

Donovan leaned back for a moment and Reid took his chance, his free leg catching the older man in the jaw. Donovan fell backwards and toppled off of the bed and out of sight.

Reid heard him groan and pulled at his bonds even harder. He tugged and twisted, feeling his skin go raw at the effort.

"Heh, go ahead and fight, Spencer. You're not getting out of here until I get what I want."

Donovan rubbed his jaw for a moment before climbing back onto the bed and sitting on Reid's lap.

"And I always get what I want."

* * *

Hotch had asked Morgan to stay with the police and help search for Donovan's car while he and Rossi traveled to Wells' scenic home.

"Maybe I should go in alone, Aaron?" Rossi suggested as they pulled up to the congressman's security station outside his gate.

Hotch shot him a look and opened his window for the guard, "SSAs Hotchner and Rossi with the BAU out of Quantico. We need to speak to Congressman Wells immediately."

The guard walked off to go and contact the Congressman while Hotch turned to Rossi, "He can attempt to ruin my career all he wants but he's going to tell me everything he knows that can save Reid."

"The Congressman'll see ya." The guard announced as the gate swung open. Hotch put the car back into drive and guided it up the hallway.

He and Rossi soon found themselves being led through a series of hallways that ended at what they could only assume was the Congressman's office. The door was opened and they spotted Wells sitting behind his oak desk in a bathrobe.

"A little late for house calls, Agents." He greeted.

"This isn't a house call, Congressman." Rossi started, walking over to the desk, "We're here to ask you a few questions."

The Congressman looked up wearily, "Is that so? Regarding what?"

"Miles Donovan."

A flash of recognition went across Wells' face but he otherwise remained neutral, "I don't know many federal agents I'm afraid."

"Who said he was a federal agent?" Hotch stepped forward almost aggressively.

"Well, now, I remember meeting a Miles Donovan at least once during my routes but as I said I don't know him well."

"Spoken like a true politician." Rossi quipped, causing Wells to throw him a look as he continued to explore his office.

"I'll cut to the chase Congressman," Hotch spoke up, "Miles Donovan has kidnapped a member of my team and if you know anything about it you had better speak up."

"Are you accusing me of withholding information, Agent Hotchner?"

"I believe that you may know more than you let on, Congressman."

Wells pushed himself from his feet, regarding Hotch with a strange impassive look on his face, "It seems that I'm not the only one who's good at politics. Pity you couldn't show such restraint in Colorado."

Rossi stepped easily between the two even though a desk still separated them and put a hand up towards Hotch but his eyes were locked onto Wells.

"It's late, Congressman. Perhaps we should give you the night to think it over and we'll contact you again tomorrow morning."

He gave Hotch a firm push to get him moving and bade the Congressman a good night as he followed Hotch out the door and back towards their car. The unit chief remained silent until they had passed the gate on the driveway, "Dave, I-"

Rossi waved a hand and motioned that he was on his phone, "Yeah, right Garcia. You ready with that trace? First call he'll undoubtedly make is to Donovan."

He glanced at Hotch with a smirk, "I had a feeling things might go this way, Aaron. Garcia and I are two steps ahead; she's tracking his phone movements now."

Hotch looked stunned, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"After all that IAB crap, the less you know about some things, the better. At least for now."

Hotch saw the wisdom in what Rossi was doing, he saw that the older man was attempting to shield him from further persecution but he was the unit chief and more than willing to take anything thrown at him to protect Reid.

"Garcia's got something."

* * *

Donovan had been frantically pounding into Reid for nearly ten minutes. He gleefully ignored the choked sobs the younger man below him emitted now and again but found himself fascinated by the pained look on his face.

"Not so chatty, Spence?" He panted into Reid's ear, causing the lithe man to groan and turn his head. Donovan's hands were firmly planted on his chest and Reid was certain he was going to have hand shaped bruises. He felt something almost tear inside him and blood soon mixed in with Donovan's sweat and, after a few more thrusts, other fluids.

Donovan leaned down and licked Reid's face from his chin to forehead with a relish.

"God, you're going to be addicting." He scowled when his phone went off and roughly pulled out of his captive, giving him another once over. "Oh, wait a second."

Reid's body hadn't climaxed like Donovan's had but he was reacting to the stimulation he had been forcibly put through. He cried out when Donovan's hand wrapped about his groin and began to pump him harshly, not letting up until his body finally caved in. Donovan brought his hand up to his mouth and licked his fingers as he flipped open his cell phone.

"Yeah?" He paused, looking thoughtfully at his hand and grinning down at Reid wildly, "You don't say, well thanks; I'll take care of it."

He wiped what was left on his hand onto Reid's chest, "Guess what, Spencer? Your lover boy might just get here in time to say good-bye."

Reid's eyes fluttered open and his gaze followed Donovan as the nude man walked across the room to a bag, unzipping it and pulling out a gun.

"I'm particularly good with head shots."

* * *

**Donovan might be good with head shots but Hotch can kill a man with his bare hands sooooooo **


	11. Tracking

**DON'T OWN CRIMINAL MINDS**

**THANK YOU ALL REVIEWERS**

**SORRY FOR THE DELAY!  
**

* * *

Donovan watched the emotions cross over Spencer's face, one after the other. He smirked and walked back to the bed, holding the gun at his side.

"You know, we have options."

Reid's dark eyes looked up at him and Donovan felt his arousal kick back up at the mere sight of how helpless the younger man looked.

"Options?" Reid asked quietly.

"Mhm." Donovan sat back down on the bed with a sigh, "Well, I could just shoot you, you know, leave you for Hotchner to find."

Reid grit his teeth as Donovan's hand once again began to explore his body, "You could also just let me go."

Donovan laughed loudly, "Man, I really like you. Once I'm ready, we'll go." He stood up and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Reid to his thoughts.

Reid felt his lip quiver as soon as Donovan left the room, ashamed that he came close to losing his composure in front of the man.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner knew that the second Garcia had gotten an address off of Wells' phone that there weren't many scenarios he was going to find Reid in and none of them were good.

"There's the community." Rossi pointed needlessly and Morgan was surprisingly quiet in the backseat, having only just finished contacting the local police and updating them. "…Morgan and I could take point, Aaron."

Hotch glanced at Rossi and considered his words for a moment. What if something had happened to Reid? Was he prepared to face it?

"I'm going to get Spencer, David."

Rossi nodded in understand but Morgan looked less than convinced, "Hotch, Rossi and I can-"

"I've already decided, Morgan but thank you for your concern."

Morgan sighed in defeat and allowed the subject drop if only for Reid's well-being. Hotch directed them with simple hand gestures and Rossi went to the back of the home they were approaching. Morgan lined himself up with the door and Hotch gave him a silent countdown and when he hit the one Morgan hit the door with such force it splintered from the frame.

"FBI!"

They flanked into the building and were met with the sounds of a radio station blasting but even with the noise they could still pick up the faint sounds of Rossi taking out a window to enter himself.

Morgan got Hotch's attention and motioned that he would take the upstairs and leave Hotch the ground floor to sweep with Rossi. Hotch nodded in agreement and took off to begin as Morgan padded up the carpeted stairs to the other bedrooms.

Morgan was careful to be quiet, knowing full well that the radio was probably just being used to mask whatever sounds Donovan was making…

Morgan grimaced at the thought and held his gun up evenly again, taking the first corner and clearing the first bedroom.

It was empty.

So was the next room and the next, each completely devoid of any sort of personal touch that would make this into a home.

The last room Morgan needed to check however had him calling for Hotch in mere seconds even though he had to wait for the older men to clear the bottom floor before arriving.

Rossi's face fell when he stepped around Morgan to peer into the room, "Morgan call a crime scene unit here now!" The older agent snapped, forcing Morgan to take action instead of staring desperately into the room. As Morgan left he bumped into Hotch and grabbed the unit leader's arm.

"Hotch, you should come with me to call the CSU…" Morgan began gently but Hotch's gaze remained stoic.

"I want to see the room."

The look in his eyes was enough to make Morgan pull out his phone and step away to call in the unit they needed and allow Rossi to take over the rest.

"Aaron, Reid's not in here."

"Then what are you keeping from me, Dave?"

Rossi sighed and motioned into the room, stepping out of the way as he did so. Hotch entered the room and felt something in his chest go cold. The room was as bare as the others except for the bed, the frame had one handcuff still attached to it and the other was badly scraped as if whoever had been cuffed had struggled.

But the handcuff wasn't what alarmed Hotch, it was the red spot, dried and dark now that made the room spin in front of him.

"Aaron?" Rossi spoke just as Morgan had, quietly and clearly attempting to provide some sort of comfort. "We can wait outside."

"I need a minute Dave." Hotch nearly ordered but the older man wisely backed out of the room without a complaint.

Hotch stared at the room before stepping deeper into it, into Spencer's own hell. He felt something tremble in his knee and cursed himself as he made his way around the bed.

"Damn." He clicked out and his eyes fell to the ground and that's when he spotted it.

A trail of blood, redder than the bed so clearly more fresh. He glanced around to see if he could find the beginning and saw that the trail began up by the handcuff.

He knelt down and followed it throughout the room and saw how easily someone could miss it with the big stain on the bed being so much more glaring. It led around the room and through the door that was across from the one Morgan had entered. Hotch pulled out his gun once more and reached for the handle and pulled it open and found himself staring at a staircase leading up to the attic.

He frowned, thinking it was going to lead to another dead end when he heard a whimper. He stiffened and glanced back to see if Rossi was still close by but he didn't see the other man near the door and figured he went down to assist Morgan.

He made his choice and began to walk slowly up the stairs.

* * *

Donovan was sitting on the floor of the attic with Reid in front of him like a shield. He held his arm across Reid's chest and his other was going over his shoulder to keep his arm up so that the gun he held remained trained on the door.

"They got here faster than I thought they would." Donovan whispered and Reid whimpered through the towel that was tied around his mouth.

"Shh…Spencer, soon, it'll all be over."

* * *

**Donovan can see the future because the next chapter will be the last one hahahhahhaha**


	12. Start Again

**Don't own CM**

**Thank you all reviewers!  
**

* * *

"You hear that Spencer?" Donovan whispered into Reid's ear. "Those footsteps? It must be Aaron, right?"

Spencer groaned and squirmed, causing Donovan to tighten his grip on him. He thrashed and moved about in a desperate attempt to free himself.

"Stop moving, Spencer." He ordered, "I said stop!" He hissed out violent but Reid kept it up, moving about, making it nearly impossible for him to keep his grip on Reid.

"FBI! FREEZE!"

"SHIT!"

Donovan shoved Reid to the ground as he fired off several shots. When the young doctor hit the floor, he felt the towel around his mouth slip.

"AARON!"

Hotch had disappeared from view and Reid feared the worst. He scrambled to his feet and when he saw Donovan moving, he swung his foot up, kicking the gun from the man's grasp.

The two were frozen, simply staring at each other in shock at the move but Donovan recovered faster and tackled Reid back to the ground.

"You little god damned _shit_!" Donovan wrapped his hands around Reid's throat and began to squeeze. "I didn't want to do this, Spencer. You _made_ me do this!"

Reid gasped and tried pushing at Donovan's hands but his attempts were weak to start and only grew weaker as Donovan wrung his neck.

Reid felt his eyes closing and he knew that this was it. He felt a tear escape his eye and trail down his cheek. He didn't want the last thing he saw to be Donovan's face, so he allowed his eyes to close, if only to picture Aaron Hotchner.

Suddenly he heard grunting and Donovan was so forcefully pulled from him that he felt something in his neck crack. He was rolled to his side and through his blurry vision he saw two large figures grappling for dominance.

"…A-aron…"

Donovan grinned at Hotch as he spit out a tooth, leaving a trail of blood on his chin, "Pretty sure I hit you."

Hotch held in his grimace and braced himself as Donovan lunged at him, "You're a poor shot."

Hotch kneed the red head and brought him down onto his stomach, pinning his arms behind his head. Donovan's grin only became wider as Hotch held him down with his weight.

"…you know this is what I did to your boy over there." Donovan told him, hoping to get Hotch riled up. "I held him down and I fucked him, Hotchner and you know what?"

Hotch's grip on Donovan's arms tightened, "Shut up."

"He _cried._"

The punch that hit Donovan next nearly knocked him out but it moved Hotch away from pinning him down and the former IAB agent was able to buck Hotch off of himself, scrambling away to grab his gun. Hotch stayed kneeling for a moment to grab his spare gun before following Donovan and the two swung their guns out at the same time, each firing a shot.

Hotch stumbled backwards as the shot hit his shoulder but he did not fall, instead he braced himself to fire off another shot because Donovan was still standing. Donovan's smirk was still on his face but his eyes were glassy and as Hotch stepped closer he could see the blood pooling around Donovan's stomach. The red head fell to his knees and his gun spun away.

"HOTCH!"

The room was suddenly filled with police officers as Morgan led the way, rushing over to Reid as Rossi went to Hotch.

"We need a bus!" Morgan ordered, feeling for Reid's pulse and gritting his teeth.

"Spencer!" Hotch attempted to walk over to his lover but Rossi held him back with care.

"You're hurt, Aaron."

"I don't care." Hotch breathed out as he brushed past Rossi and rushed over to Reid, sinking down to his knees.

"His pulse is weak." Morgan told him, "And his breathing is rough…"

Paramedics were storming up the stairs as Hotch reached out to push back Reid's hair, noting how some of it was caked with blood.

"Sir, please come with me." A medic spoke softly to Hotch, easing him away from Reid.

Hotch allowed himself to be led away to get his arm looked at while the others took Reid under their wing and began to work on him. He stumbled and the medic mentioned to another that they needed a gurney.

"I can walk." He said gruffly and the medic did little but sigh at him as he was led to the ambulance.

* * *

When Hotch awoke he found himself in a hospital bed, a hospital gown and no idea of how he got into either.

"Agent Hotcher?" A timid looking nurse was staring at him from the foot of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Quite well, thank you."

"The surgery went well and the bullet was removed easily. You can go home tonight."

"Nurse, what about Doctor Reid?"

She flushed a little and motioned for Hotch to look to the right of him where Reid was sleeping in an identical bed.

"Agent Rossi thought it would be for the best." She said, walking briskly over to Reid's bed and picking up his medical sheet. "He's sleeping for the moment on the lowest dosage of pain medicine possible."

Hotch forced himself to sit up and glanced over at her, "I want to know what happened to him. Exactly."

The nurse didn't look startled at the request as Hotch had expected her to; instead she began to speak with the calm that was expected in her profession.

"He came in with a cut to the head that, while having been kept dried with his own blood, did require a few stiches. He had severe bruising around his throat and a cracked clavicle, along with the…the rape kit that we ran, which came back positive."

She set the file back down and walked over to Hotch, "When he wakes up, it'll be hard for him to speak. Please call a nurse if one isn't around."

Hotch could only nod as she walked out of the room, no doubt to give him some time to himself.

He stared at his legs for some time, absently feeling the thick bandage around his shoulder. He felt anger coursing through himself. He had wanted to believe that the blood was simply from an injury, that Donovan had been lying to get him worked up about touching Spencer but with those nurse's soft words, he knew everything was true.

He gave himself a few minutes and decided to push himself out of bed and wandered over to Spencer's.

Reid's face was pale and Hotch figured it was because he was in pain. He reached out and gently swiped some of Reid's hair out of his face, feeling like he had just reached the beginning of what would be a long road to recovery.

But they could make it.

He knew it.

He had no doubts but he did have regrets.

"Mhm…Aaron?" Reid whispered as he nuzzled sleepily into Hotch's warm hand.

Hotch smiled faintly down at Reid as he stroked his thumb along his cheek.

Things could only get better from here.

* * *

**I'm still tossing around ideas for an epilogue but at the moment there's nothing solid but once again thank you to all readers! Hope you enjoyed it**


End file.
